Advances in wireless communication have revolutionized the way we communicate and access information, and has birthed a plethora of wireless capable consumer devices whose affordability and availability have increased over time. Generally, wireless capable consumer devices may communicate with other wireless capable devices by exchanging radio frequency (RF) communication signals via a transceiver, which may be located internally or externally to the device. One type of external transceiver may be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) modem (referred to herein as a USB dongle), which may be inserted into the USB port of a consumer device (e.g., a laptop) to effectuate wireless communication. For instance, a USB dongle may allow otherwise non-wirelessly-enabled devices (e.g., devices without onboard transceivers) to communicate wirelessly simply by installing the appropriate software (e.g., USB dongle drivers, etc.).
RF transmissions may produce RF radiation, e.g., electromagnetic radiation in the frequency range of about three kilohertz (kHz) to about 300 Gigahertz (GHz), which may be harmful to humans at elevated exposure/absorption thresholds. Consequently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulated the RF radiation output of various wireless devices, e.g., including USB dongles, to limit the general public's exposure to RF radiation. Some of the FCC's regulations and/or compliance standards may be outlined in Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)/American National Standards Institute (ANSI) publication C95.1-1992 entitled “Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 khz to 300 GHz” and IEEE/ANSI C95.3-2002 entitled “Recommended Practice for Measurement of Potentially Hazardous Electromagnetic Fields—RF and Microwave”, both of which are incorporated by reference herein as if reproduced in their entirety.
Specifically, the FCC regulations specify maximum Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) for various RF devices based on different factors. SAR is defined as the rate of RF energy absorption per unit mass at a point in an absorbing body, and may be calculated by the formula:
      SAR    =                  σ        ·                  E          2                    ρ        ,where σ is the conductivity of the tissue simulating material in siemens per meter (S/m), ρ is the mass density of the tissue-simulating material in kilograms per cubic meter (kg/m3), and E is the Total root mean squared (RMS) electric field strength in volts per meter (V/M). To comply with these regulations, some classifications of devices, including USB dongles, must be submitted to a certified testing laboratory (e.g., the PCTEST Engineering Laboratory in Columbia, Md.), where a SAR compliance evaluation is conducted.